Sacramento Weddings

 

How cool is this wedding menu? Chicken, steak and vegetarian tacos with rice and beans!  That was the perfect wedding dinner for Tarah and Jeremy, who love Mexican food, and consider themselves pretty easy going. “Jeremy and I are not glitz and glam,” she says. “We enjoy the laid back, simple things in life and we did our best to portray that in our wedding and reception.”

The couple met through a mutual friend, dated for four years and got engaged during an outing to the Gold Bug Mine in Placerville. While panning for gemstones, “Jeremy had placed my ring in the pan,” says Tarah. “He expressed his love for me and asked me if I’d marry him.”

A year and a half later, Tarah, who work in health insurance and Jeremy, a personal trainer, married in front of 130 guests at Lehman Barn in Shingle Springs. They loved the venue’s rustic charm and oak tree.

“An oak tree, to me, represents strength and resilience,” says Tarah, who’s also a volunteer for All About Equine Animal Rescue. “They can withstand the craziest of storms, the longest of droughts and they continue to grow and thrive.”

She concludes, “We both come from huge families and without their strong branches, we wouldn’t be who we are today.”

The couple honored their families during the wedding, including Jeremy’s ring which was custom made out of the diamonds and gold from a pair of his deceased step-mother’s earrings. Tarah wore a bracelet honoring her mother, as well as her deceased grandfather’s trumpets from his Cal Fire Capitan’s uniform. She also decorated her new boots with custom boot jewelry to honor her deceased grandparents. The bride’s cousin made the cake.

Despite a rainy start to the day, the weather cleared for the ceremony. “I held my dad and step-dad’s arms as they walked me down the aisle and as I turned the corner and saw Jeremy’s face,” says Tarah. “I took a deep breath and tears streamed down his cheeks, everything calmed down.”

The bride’s eldest cousin officiated the ceremony. Jeremy was overwhelmed with emotion. “I cried tears of joy,” he says. “She was beautiful on that day and still is.”

The newlyweds danced down the aisle to Dixieland Jazz, in remembrance of Tarah’s deceased grandfather.

A reception followed in front of the venue’s old barn, which was built in the 1800s. Jeremy loved the reception. “Being able to visit with my friends and family and dancing all night with them, it was great, so much fun,” he says.

They say their wedding was lots of fun. “It was the best day ever,” says Jeremy.  “It’s what I was hoping for, a huge party with everyone dancing and enjoying the evening under the stars,” says Tarah. “Celebrating Jeremy and I and the love we have for each other. We danced under the stars, how does it get better than that?”

—Kristen Castillo